[PureSpeed1]

Hello,

I Own a 2004 Prius(Silver-package #9) and I understand once you get to the last fuel bar, you are recommended to fill up or else it can damage the system somehow.. Well, How many miles can I get once you reach to the last fuel bar and what ultimately happens as a warning before you really run out of gas?? Does the last fuel bar begin to blink or are there any warning messages on the screen or dash that light up, light up to a certain color, or does anything blink??

I just want to anticipate running out of gas and just want to know when Im really in the danger zone.. Thanks in advance!!

 

[RSnyder]

Re: How Do You Know When Youre Really About To Run Out of Ga

Well, How many miles can I get once you reach to the last fuel bar and what ultimately happens as a warning before you really run out of gas?? Does the last fuel bar begin to blink or are there any warning messages on the screen or dash that light up, light up to a certain color, or does anything blink??

You'll typically hit the last bar with somewhere between 2 and 100 miles left in the tank Often, but no guarantees, you'll get a blinking bar and a message on the screen sometime prior to an empty tank.

My suggestion is to start searching for a filling station to your liking once you're down to two bars. You'll end up at the filling station about as often as most other cars, but paying a lot less.

The display has ten bars. Cars used to have analog gauges marked off in eighths. So think of the last two bars as the space below E.

 

[Guest]

Mileage

If you're averaging 45 on the display, you can safely go 400 miles without a problem. I've been ignoring the gauge and relying more on the miles driven.

 

[alex04p]

i think my last bar started to blink faster the emptier it got. Why the heck didn't toyota put the miles remaining on this damn car??????? I can't live without it, that is my only complaint.

 

[PureSpeed1]

Im with you on that! My Bro's Eddie Bauer Explorer had that feature..Im surprised that this Prius doesnt have it..

 

[kmbell]

Well, I can tell you what it's like to actually run out of gas! My Prius technician gave a presentation to all of us new Prius owners about a month after we got our cars. He said that once you hear the beep, you can safely drive 100 miles. He was wrong. I safely drove 60 after the beep and it is quite an event to run out of gas. All the lights come on and a red icon shows up on the Energy / Consumption screen that says "problem", as if that is helpful. I pulled off the freeway to the side of the road within 1/2 mile and called Toyota Roadside Assistance. I got 3 gallons of gas from the dispatched towing company. After the gas was added, I started the car again and most of the lights went out, but the big red triangle, a check engine light, and the "problem" icon remained on. I could tell that the battery was not drained because I still had 4 blue bars. I was paranoid about driving with those lights on so the tow truck guy said he would follow me to make sure things were OK. In the end, the lights all returned to normal within about 1/2 mile of driving, and I don't think there was any damage. I drove to the next exit and got gas. Lesson learned - do NOT ignore that beep.

Note: I got an average of 46.2 mpg on that tank and drove 499 miles. I took 3 gallons from the tow truck guy, and put only 6 gallons in the tank at the gas station. Do the math. Obviously I am either not able to fill the gas tank up completely or you can't suck the last couple of gallons out of the tank.

 

[artman67]

Wonder why you could only put 9 gallons in ??

what was the temp outside ??

I have only burned one tank so far but filled up shortly after it started blinking
I put put in 10.7 gallons

 

[kmbell]

Wonder why you could only put 9 gallons in ??

what was the temp outside ??

It was 57 outside when I pulled into the gas station.

 

[autoxic]

I have driven 45 miles past the start of the last fuel bar blinking, but I usually fill up before then.

At my usual gas station, the pump stops a bit early, and I usually add .3 to .5 gallons after the pumps clicks off the first time, and I have not overfilled the tank yet. When I add this extra bit, I can drive 120-150 miles, at 50 MPG, before the top fuel bar disappears.

I find the display MPG to be pretty accurate. If it reads 50 MPG and you have driven 400 miles, you should add around 8 gallons of gas. If the pump stops at 6 gallons, add another gallon or so and check to make sure the tank is not overfilled.

Do not believe anyone. If your Add Fuel warning appears, get gas within the next 25 miles to be safe. To be absolutely safe, stop for gas ASAP.

-Ken

 

[ToyotaMike]

How can you tell if you overfill the tank? Aside from it spilling out over the intake.

 

[kmbell]

Do not believe anyone. If your Add Fuel warning appears, get gas within the next 25 miles to be safe. To be absolutely safe, stop for gas ASAP.

Yep, this is the lesson I learned. Next tank will be right at the beep.

 

[V8Cobrakid]

I must ask, even though i could look this up just as easy. How many gallons is the gas bladder? 10 right? Earlier today (my first fill up) i put in gas. I was on one "Square" on the fuel gage. I read on several post that the bladder doesn't hold exactly 10 gallons. This afternoon i pumped 9 and a half gallons of fuel into the car. I was kindof worried about bladder expansion and then expelling extra. when it clicked, i pulled it out with no top off. The only problem i had is with the actual pumping. I could not go fast because it felt i didn't have a good seal i guess. So, the handle kept clicking offf. So, my next question: Does anyone else have this problem with only refueling slow, and how many gallons does eveyone else put in.

 

[kmbell]

I must ask, even though i could look this up just as easy. How many gallons is the gas bladder? 10 right?

No. The capacity is 11.9 gallons; however, I believe that the bladder complicates things. It depends on how flexible it is at the time of fill-up as to how much it can expand. Something like that. In any case, it is very clear that in my "out of gas" story, I was unable to get anywhere near 11.9 gallons in the tank. But, I am not one to coax the gasoline in. I stop it when it cuts off. Of course, the fuel guage never fails to go to the completely full mark after I fill up, so I thought it was really full.